In June 2025, Chery, China’s largest vehicle exporter, announced a second model in Belgium, alongside the Omoda 5 (ICE and EV), the flagship SUV, the Omoda 9 SHS.
Now it’s here to order, priced at €52.900 for those cautiously entering the world of electric driving to soothe their eco-consciousness, but secretly like to keep their gasoline engine close at hand.
Good idea, if you charge
Valuable idea, if you seldom drive more than 145 km daily and don’t forget to charge. Bad idea if you rarely use the electric range, as the PHEV’s CO₂ emissions can become almost as bad as a gasoline-only SUV.
Expect around 7 liters/100 km of fuel consumption in that case, which is relatively low even for a large SUV weighing 2,125 kg. But if you use it rightly, mostly electric, a consumption of only 1.7 l/100 km should be theoretically feasible. That’s 38 g/km in CO2 emissions, compared to 180 g/km on pure fossil fuel.
As we wrote earlier, it won’t get you to the south of Spain from Belgium or the Netherlands without a tank stop, but it gives those with too much range anxiety to go fully electric ‘ammunition’ to defend their choice.
Fencing off the Chinese EV tsunami?
Remarkably, it is the German premium brands (BMW, Mercedes, Audi, VW) and Volvo that have been the most prominent advocates of PHEVs in Europe, pushing them as a ‘bridge technology’ to fend off the EV tsunami threatening their ICE investments and pushing for EU tariffs on Chinese EVs.
But that was without reckoning on how quickly the Chinese would react. Chinese OEMs already had a strong lineup of PHEVs for their domestic market. Exporting them to Europe is a low-risk move, as they bypass the BEV tariff risks, which amount to 21.3% on top of the regular 10% import tax in the case of Chery.
And they slot neatly into local tax niches. Germany still favors PHEVs for low company car taxation, despite the end of subsidies. In Belgium and Luxembourg, PHEVs with an electric WLTP range of more than 50 km still receive attractive company car tax benefits.
So Chery’s move with a fully equipped, big luxury SUV like the Omoda 9 SHS-P fits neatly into that perspective.
Half the price of EU competition?
The BMW X5 xDrive50e, Mercedes-Benz GLE Plug-in Hybrid, and Volvo XC90 Plug-in Hybrid are probably the closest ‘luxury’ competitors in terms of size, prestige, and offering. They’re all nudging up against the €100,000 mark, comparing list prices.
That’s nearly double the Omoda 9’s price of €52,900. So what do you get for that money? The strongest sales argument is that the Omoda 9 SHS features a 34.46 kWh LFP battery from CATL, enabling a pure electric range of 145 km, with even a maximum of 169 km during tests, as the company claims.
That outperforms all the others with ease, as the BMW offers a pure electric WLTP range of 94 to 110 km, the Mercedes up to 100 km, and the Volvo 71 to 77 km. Combined with a 70-liter gasoline tank, the Omoda’s effective range exceeds 1,100 km. Its competitors have similar-sized fuel tanks, so roughly 200 km fewer combined range.
450 hp and swift performance
Featuring a 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine (143 hp/105 kW) paired with three electric motors: two in the front and one at the rear, this Omoda delivers a combined power of 450 hp (335 kW) and 650 Nm of torque.
The drive is provided by the fifth-generation ACTECO 1.5 TGDI engine, which achieves an exceptional thermal efficiency of 44.5% for a gasoline engine.
It’s an all-wheel drive (AWD) vehicle equipped with Chery’s Super Hybrid System (SHS) and a 3-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT). That allows for 11 gear combinations and nine different drive modes to choose from.
And it is swift for such a big vehicle with these dimensions: 4.77 m × 1.92 m × 1.67 m and a wheelbase of 2.80 m. It sprints from 0 to 100 km/hour in 4.9 seconds.
Silence as a comfort factor
The CDC electromagnetic suspension filters out road surface unevenness, contributing to a quieter and comfortable driving experience. The car features acoustic glass and noise-reducing tires, which make it exceptionally quiet, with an interior noise level of less than 45 dB at city speeds.
Silence, most EV drivers will tell you, will be appreciated as a real comfort factor once you get used to not needing to hear a roaring engine to prove your masculinity. Something Rolls-Royce owners have already known for decades and are willing to pay extra for.
There’s no need to worry about choosing luxury options in Chinese cars for Europe, as the Omoda 9 comes fully equipped as standard. The interior features a 24.6-inch curved double screen with scratch-resistant ‘Gorilla Glass’. So you can bring your pet gorilla along without having to fear?
A Sony Master Sound system with 14 speakers and intelligent ambient lighting featuring 256 colours enhances the relaxing atmosphere. More comfort is guaranteed, among other things, by the so-called zero-gravity seat, a passenger seat equipped with leg and footrests, as well as a massage function.
In addition, the SUV features 18 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), including automatic emergency braking assistance, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, eye-tracking fatigue recognition, and a smart speed limiter that recognizes road signs, as you would expect in a modern car today.
